Guard for power driven razors



April 22, 1941. J. o. JENSEN GUARD FOR POWER DRIVEN RAZORS Filed Nov. 27, 1957 INVEN OR TTORNEYS Patented Apr. 22, 1941 GUARD FOR POWER DRIVEN RAZORS Jens 0. Jensen, Miami Beach, Fla., assigncr to Bernard F. Connolly, Shreveport, La.

Application November 27, 1937, Serial No. 176,824

4 Claims.

The invention relates to a shaving device of the power operated type, in which hairs are severed between relatively movable shear elements, one of which is operated rapidly by a suitable power source, such as an electric motor.

A major problem of devices of such character has been that of providing a razor which will operate to shave With satisfactory closeness but at the same time be free of so-called burning sensation resulting from the skin being irritated by coming into too close contact with the rapidly moving element. It will be appreciated that the relative softness, toughness and texture of the skin in general varies widely in the cases of different persons. Furthermore, the same variations usually occur at difi'erent skin areas on the same person. There are other variable conditions, such as the difiference in the size and character of the hairs. Also it is natural that the pressure exerted by different operators will vary over a considerable range. Under such conditions, the extent to which the skin projects into the hair receiving openings will likewise vary. Accordingly, a razor which is designed under one set of circumstances to shave with maximum closeness and efiiciency, consistent with complete comfort and freedom from irritation, may shave entirely too close in another case, or, on the other hand, may result in inability to shave close enough.

The opportunities in previous devices for variation in the construction to meet these conditions has been in the selection of the size or width of the hair receiving openings at the shearing area, and in the thickness of the element in which such openings are located. The tendency or inclination, in determining and selecting these dimensions and proportions, is to attempt to arrive at a combination which will more or less satisfy the average shaving conditions. Of necessity, for a generally satisfactory razor, it has had to be of a character such that it will be reasonably free of cutting too closely in practically all cases. As a result, such razors do not shave as closely as might be desired, except in rare instances, or over special small areas.

The present invention provides a solution to this difficulty through a means which enables the individual operator to vary the closeness'with which his particular razor shaves. In accordance with the principles of this invention and its manner of application to a razor, the operator may effect this adjustment in a manner to suit his own preference and the character of his particular beard, including, if desired, an adjustment for diiferent areas of his skin.

The invention comprises in its more general aspects a guard means which serves to engage the skin simultaneously with the shaving area of the device and to restrict the tendency of the skin to project into the openings of the shearing elements. The guard means is so constructed as to be capable of ready adjustment or to be retracted or entirely removed from the sphere of operation. In addition, it can be made to respond to variations in pressure resulting in variations in the closeness of the shave. When in actual engagement it aids in causing the hairs to move into the cutting areas and contributes thereby to theehlciency and speed of operation.

The invention also presents features of convenience and adjustment, ruggedness and freedom from liability of breakage, and various other advantages which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of which invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a razor with the present invention incorporated therein;

Fig. 2 is a vertical view showing the head and part of the handle of the razor of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the shaving head taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing the guard means adjusted into efiective position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but with the guard members shifted to a retracted position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view broken away to show details of the spring and mounting means for the guard and also showing a modified form of guard;

6 is a cross-sectional View showing the modified guard of Fig. 5 taken on the line 6-5 thereof;

Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional View of a still different form of guard;

Fig. 8 is a perspective of a form of guard capable of being quickly and completely detached from the razor head; and

Fig. 9 is a cross section of a razor head with the guard of Fig. 8 applied thereto.

The invention may be applied to or incorporated in power razors of various specific shapes and types, it being particularly effective and advantageous in a razor of the general character shown in the drawing which comprises a main handle or body portion ID having a shaving head I l removably mounted thereon in a manner common in such razors.

The specific arrangement of the razor, as a whole, need not be discussed in any detail, since the construction may be varied considerably and still utilize the principles of the present invention. In general, however, the razor head shown comprises a main body portion l2 and an outer shell [3 secured thereto. A bottom plate I 4 is attached to the body portion [2 by suitable screws l5. Within the shell [3 is mounted a movable shear member l6 adapted to be reciprocated therein. For this purpose there is shown a rotary drive shaft I! having an eccentric pin 13 operating in a cross slot IQ of the movable cutter l6. Suitable means are provided for maintaining the inner and outer shear members in close shearing engagement, this being shown as a plunger 20 adapted when the head is mounted on the handle to compress a spring 2| and urge the ball 22 into engagement with the bottom surface of the movable cutter [6. A similar plunger and associated elements are located at the other end of the shaving head.

The specific openings in the outer stationary which impositively holds the respective guard in either the effective or retracted position. In the form shown this spring comprises a thin, flat spring steel member 34, which has the central portion cut away at its ends to provide a fork 35 adapted to fit over the respective ear 32 to hold the spring in place. The guards 3E] and 3! are provided with cam-shaped hubs with a high point 36 as shown in Fig. 3 designed, under the action of the spring 34, to hold the guard in the upper effective position, and a high point 31, as shown in Fig. 4, so located as to hold the guard in the retracted position when rotated to a position approaching that shown in Fig. 4.

shear member may be of varying character, but

as shown they comprise a particularly efficient arrangement comprising central openings 23, with which communicate offset slots 24 and 25.

The middle portion containing the openings 23 comprises a comb portion particularly effective in picking up and directing the hairs into the slots.

The outer shear member has raised or thickened portions 26 at each end which serve to add strength, The inner movable cutter is provided with offset slots 21 and 28 corresponding to the offset slots 24 and of the outer cutter, and the 1:

inner cutter is also provided with a central channel 29 running lengthwise thereof, i. e. perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Fig. 3, which cooperates with the comb portion of the outer cutter and permits the ready entrance of the hairs through openings 23 and enables them to pass therefrom into one or the other of the offset slots, depending upon the direction of motion of the razor at the moment.

The guard means may be of varying charac- 'ter as to details and mounted or incorporated in the razor in different ways, dependent upon the circumstances and the particular type of shaving head. In Figs. 1 to 6 there is shown a guard mounted on hinges which has been found to be particularly practical for general usage. In general, it comprises hinged guard members 310 and 3| mounted on the head at opposite sides of the shaving area. By reason of the hinge mounting means, such as a screw cap or merely by riveting the end of the rod. A spring means is provided There are four of these M It will be seen that when the razor is applied to the face with the guards in the position shown in Fig. 3, the upper surfaces 38 thereof will bear against the skin. The top surfaces 38 of the guard members extend above the top surface of the slotted cutting area. As a result when the razor is applied to the face, the skin is stretched to a certain degree and made firmer, and in such condition bulges down between the guards into engagement with the shearing area of the razor head. Varying the pressure will vary the extent or degree with which the skin contacts the shearing area and, correspondinglm'the closeness of the shave. It has been found that the operator is thus afforded an exceptionally sensitive but definitely controllable means of varying the closeness of the shave. Also the guard members assist in directing the hairs into the shearing slots by causing the hairs to be snapped into a more upright position as they leave the edge of the guard.

If found desirable, however, under particular circumstances, the guard members-may be provided with slots which coincide with those in the cutter member. This is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 where the hinged guard members 40 and 4| have slots 42 and 43, respectively. The guard slots 42 coincide with cutting slots 25 of the outer shear member, and guard slots 43 with cutting slots 24, The construction otherwise may be substantially similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to- 4.

A modified form of guard means is shown in Fig. 7, in which the guard members instead of being hinged to the outer shear member, are normally rigidly secured thereto by suitable means such as set screws. In this form the guard members comprise independent plates 45 and 4&3 secured to the sides of the shaving head by set screws 41, one being located near each end of the guard plate. The plates are provided with slots 48 adapted to receive the set screws. These slots enable the plates to be vertically adjusted to suit the conditions and may be retracted to a position in which they are completely ineffective, permitting the cutting area to engage the skin unrestricted, and the hairs accordingly to project into the slots to the full extent permitted by the size of the slots and the thiclmess of the outer shear member at the 5 points where the slots are located.

The level of the outer skin contacting surfaces of the guard means with respect to the surface of the outer shear member will vary, dependent upon thetype and shape of razor and upon the particular conditions, including the relative lateral spacing between a guard member and the cutting area. Other things being equal, the guard plates 45 and 46 would usually extend a little higher in the form of Fig. 7, for example, than in the form shown in Fig. 3, where the guard means are located more closely to the shearing area.

A still further form is shown in Figs. 8 and 9, in which case the guard means comprises a device in the nature of a clip which may be readily removed or attached to the shaving head. For this purpose it may be conveniently made of flexible metal, such as spring steel, and comprise an angular piece 49 encircling three sides,

and a hinged spring clip 50 forming the fourth side. A cross section of a shaving head with a removable guard means similar to that shown in Fig. 8 is shown in Fig. 9, and comprises the side guard members 5| and 52, which fit against the sides of the shaving head and cooperate therewith in substantially the same manner as the guard members of Fig. '7. The hinged end piece 50 and likewise the opposite end piece 53 are made relatively narrow, thereby to eliminate any interference with the contact with the face, or discharge of hairs from the passages 54 and 55 of the inner cutter.

It will be apparent that throughout the various forms shown, the guard means serve the additional function of protecting the shaving head against breakage when being dropped or accidentally struck against some hard object, and particularly protect the outer thin section containing the slender bars forming the slotted shaving area. i

In the interests of clarity, various parts are shown considerably enlarged and to some extent out of proportion, and it will be understood that such matters as the exact thickness of the blades and number and spacing of the cutting slots can .be readily selected and determined by one familiar with the art.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that, all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. i

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: l

1. In a shaving device having a shearing area adapted to bear directly against the sldn, a guard therefor, hinge means supporting said guard on said device, said guard being rotatable selec tively on said hinge means into an effective position laterally adjacent to but not over said shearing area or into an ineffective position, and a spring pressure means acting eccentrically on said hinge means releasably to hold said guard in either of said positions.

2. In a shaving device having a shearing area adapted to bear directly against the skin, a guard hingedly mounted at each of two opposite sides of said shearing area, each of said guards :being selectively rotatable about its hinge support into an effective or ineffective position, and spring pressure means for each of said guards acting eccentrically on the hinge means releasably to hold the respective guard in either of its said positions.

3. In a power shaving device having a head with a shearing area adapted to bear against the skin and having hair receiving openings therein, a guard hingedly mounted on each of two opposite sides of said head, each of said guards being selectively rotatable about its hinge support into effective or ineffective position, said guards in effective position being located laterally of said shearing area on opposite sides thereof with the skin adapted to engage directly the intervening shearing area but being restricted as to pressure by said guards, and said guards in inefiective position being swung away so as to be free altogether of skin engagement.

4. In a shaving device having a shearing area adapted to bear against the skin, a guard therefor, hinge means supporting said guard on said device, said guard being selectively rotatable on its hinge means into an effective or ineffective position, and means for releasably holding said guard in either of said positions comprising cam means mounted to rotate with said guard and relatively fixed spring pressure means adapted to bear against said cam means.

JENS O. JENSEN. 

